Container and closure cap therefor

ABSTRACT

A container having an inwardly directed shoulder forming a lower radial surface, and a closure cap therefor wherein the closure caP is provided with a depending flange portion adapted to fit within the mouth of the container and having a radial projection forming an upper radial surface adapted to cooperate with the lower radial surface carried by the container to thereby lock the closure cap to the container. Means are provided for flexing the closure cap to move the radial projection carried thereby out of engagement with the radial surface of the container to thereby release the closure cap. In an additional embodiment, a second depending flange is provided on the closure cap to prevent the cap from becoming contaminated when removed from the container, and in another embodiment, additional means are provided for maintaining the depending flange and radial projection carried by the closure cap in engagement with the corresponding radial surface carried by the container.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Robert P. Linkletter 9372 WilshireBlvd., Beverly Hills, Calif. 90212 [21] Appl. No. 848,833 [22] FiledAug. 11, 1969 145] Patented Sept. 14, 1971 [54] CONTAINER AND CLOSURECAP THEREFOR 9 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 215/9, 215/41, 215/47, 220/60 [51] lnt.Cl A61j1/00, 865d55/02, B65d 43/10 [50] Field of Search 220/60, 60 A, 59, 24.5, 38.5;215/41, 48, 47, 52, 95, 9

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,024,495 12/1935 Wolfe220/59 2,396,035 3/1946 Billing et al. 215/52 3,407,956 10/1968Linkletter 220/38.5

Primary ExaminerWilliam T. Dixson, Jr. Atlorney-Fulwider, Patton,Rieber, Lee & Utecht ABSTRACT: A container having an inwardly directedshoulder forming a lower radial surface, and a closure cap thereforwherein the closure cat? is provided with a depending flange portionadapted to fit within the mouth ofthe container and having a radialprojection forming an upper radial surface adapted to cooperate with thelower radial surface carried by the container to thereby lock theclosure cap to the container. Means are provided for flexing the closurecap to move the radial projection carried thereby out of engagement withthe radial surface of the container to thereby release the closure cap.in an additional embodiment, a second depending flange is provided onthe closure cap to prevent the cap from becoming contaminated whenremoved from the container, and in another embodiment, additional meansare provided for maintaining the depending flange and radial projectioncarried by the closure cap in engagement with the corresponding radialsurface carried by the container.

CONTAINER AND CLOSURE CAP THEREFOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Fieldof the Invention This invention relates to a container of the typehaving an inwardly directed shoulder adjacent the mouth thereof, and asnap-on closure cap having a depending flange portion adapted to fitwithin the open mouth of the container and be secured thereto.

2. Description of the Prior Art Containers adapted to receivesnap-on-type closure caps and such closure caps, per se, are generallywell known in the art. Such containers and closure caps thereforgenerally utilize an outer peripheral lip adjacent the top of thecontainer which is adapted to be engaged by an inwardly directed radialportion carried by a downwardly directed depending flange of the closurecap. Closure caps for containers of this type have, generally speaking,met with considerable success and have become widely utilized in theart. In addition to simple snapon-type closure caps, various means havebeen provided for insuring that the closure cap remains locked to thecontainer, such that a simple pull on the closure cap will not releasethe cap from engagement with the container. One such closure cap,including a locking means for preventing the closure cap from beingaccidentally removed from the container, is that disclosed in the issuedU.S. Pat. No. 3,047,926, granted Oct. 29. I968, entitled BOTTLE CAP.

With the advent of increasing safety requirements for containers andclosure members therefor adapted to store medicines, toxic chemicals,and the like, it has become desirable to provide some means forpreventing young children from opening such containers. While the priorart has provided various locking devices for securing the closure cap tothe container, such devices tend to require a multiplicity of elementsand require a complicated opening procedure which does not readily adaptitself to single-handed operation or a single motion for releasing theclosure cap from the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a containerhaving an inwardly directed shoulder adjacent the open mouth of thecontainer, and a closure cap therefor comprising a cap section and aflexible depending flange portion which is dimensioned to fit within theopen mouth of the container. The depending flange is provided with anoutwardly directed radial projection formed adjacent the lower portionthereof which is adapted to engage the inwardly directed radial surfaceof the container. A flexible central portion interconnects the lowerpart of the closure cap depending flange such that downward pressureapplied to the center of the central portion results in a flexing of thedepending flange and the radial projection carried thereby movesdownwardly and radially inwardly away from the inwardly directedshoulder carried by the container to thereby release the closure cap andallow its removal from the container.

As a result of the present invention, a container and closure capstructure is provided which will prevent the closure cap from beingremoved by a simple upward pull on the closure cap without providing anadditional simultaneous downward push on the center of the closure cap.Thus, a child or one unfamiliar with the operation of the container andclosure cap of the present invention will not be readily able to openthe closure cap to release the contents from the container.

Further, the present invention provides a container and safety closurecap therefor which may be readily operated by one hand, and, althoughrequiring simultaneous upward and downward pressure on the closure cap,requires only one independent movement to release the closure cap fromthe container.

In an additional embodiment, additional means are provided on theclosure cap to insure that the closure cap will not become contaminatedupon being removed from the container, and in another embodiment, meansare provided for insuring that the depending flange portion of theclosure cap will remain in contact with the container when it is notdesired that the closure cap be opened.

It is therefore an object of he present invention to provide a containerand closure cap therefor which utilizes an unexpected sequence ofsimultaneous motions for release of a closure cap from a container.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a container andsafety closure cap therefor wherein the closure cap may be secured toand removed from the container by a simple, single-handed motion, andwhich provides an additional means for preventing the closure cap frombeing removed during storage or shipping of the container.

The many features and advantages of the present invention will bepointed out in the following detailed description and claims, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way ofexample the principles of the invention in the best mode which has beencontemplated of applying these principles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of oneembodiment of the container and closure cap therefore of the subjectinvention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the container and closure cap of FIG. 1,taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. I.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the container and closure cap of FIG. 1,illustrating the simultaneous motion sequence for opening the closurecap.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a modification of the closure cap of FIG.1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an additional modification of the closurecap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modification of the closure cap ofFIG. 1, and including a retaining ring.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the modification of the closure cap andretaining ring of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a portion of a sectional view of a modification of the closurecap and retaining ring of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 of the drawingillustrates a container 10 having a mouth portion 12 to which is secureda closure cap 18. As best seen in FIG. 2, the container 10 includes aradially inwardly directed shoulder 14 adjacent the top of the mouth 12.The lowermost portion of the shoulder 14 forms a lower radial surface 16which may be in the form of a continuous circumferential shoulder, or,alternatively, a plurality of radial projections extending inwardly fromcircumferentially spaced points around the mouth 12 of container 10. Theupper portion of the shoulder 14 extends upwardly and outwardly from thelower radial surface 16 so as to form a chamfered edge 17.

The closure cap 18 is generally cup-shaped in design and is proportionedto fit within the mouth 12 of the container 10. The closure cap 18comprises a central disc-shaped cap section 24 having an upstandingcircumferential flange 22 whose outer diameter is less than the smallestinner diameter of the mouth 12 of the container 10. Extending outwardlyfrom the upper portion of the upstanding circumferential flange 22 is anannular cap section 20 which overlays the rim of the mouth 12 of thecontainer 10. Adjacent the lower portion of the upstandingcircumferential flange 22 is an outwardly directed radial projection 26.The upper portion of the radial projection 26 forms an upper radialsurface 28 which is adapted to engage the lower radial surface 16 of thecontainer 10. The lower surface of the radial projection 26 extendsinwardly and downwardly from the upper radial surface 28 so as to form achamfered edge 29.

Second to the center of the central cap section 24 is a disc member 30having a downwardly directed pin 32. As illustrated, the pin 32 isfrictionally held within a socket 33 integrally formed with the centralcap section 24, although it is readily apparent that any suitable meansmay be used to secure the pin 32 t the central cap section 24. The outerdiameter of the disc member 30 is less than the inner diameter of thecircumferential flange 22 and the length of the downwardly directed pin32 is preferably such that the upper surface of the disc 30 will beflush with the upper surface of the annular cap section 20.

By having the disc 30 flush with the annular cap section 20, a suitabletamperproof seal 21 may be added to the closure cap 18 after assembly,as for example a wax or paper strip between the disc 30 and annular capsection 20, which will be broken upon depressing the disc 30 to removethe closure cap 18 from the container 10.

Preferably, the container will be in the shape of a bottle and moldedfrom a plastic material. However, it can be readily seen that thecontainer 10 may take any shape which provides a mouth portion 12 and aninwardly directed shoulder 14 adjacent the mouth portion, and that anymaterial may be utilized for the construction of the container 10.

Preferably, the closure cap 18, including the annular cap section 20,circumferential flange 22, radial projection 26, and central cap secton24, will be integrally molded from a relatively flexible material suchas plastic or rubber.

The operation of the closure cap 18 is illustrate by FIG. 3. When it isdesired to release the closure cap 18 from engagement with the container10, pressure is applied to the disc 30 in a downwardly direction whichin turn causes the central cap section 24 to flex downwardly asindicated by the arrow 31. Simultaneously, upwardly directed pressure isapplied to the annular cap section 20, as illustrated by the arrows 33.Upon downward flexing of the central cap section 24, the circumferentialflange 22 is flexed radially inwardly, thus causing the radialprojection 26 to move inwardly and downwardly. Upon the upper radialsurface 28 of the radial projection 26 moving out of engagement with thelower radial surface 16 of the shoulder 14 carried by the container 10,the simultaneous upwardly directed pressure applied to the annular capsection 20 results in a lifting ofthe closure cap 18 out ofengagementwith the mouth 12 ofthe container 10.

The disc 30 is dimensioned such that it moves downwardly within theconfines of the circumferentially surrounding flange 22 until itcontacts the inner surface thereof at a point adjacent the radialprojection 26. At this point, the upper radial surface 28 of the radialprojection 26 is completely disengaged from the lower radial surface 16of the shoulder 14. The engagement of the disc 30 with thecircumferential flange 22 signifies the termination of the disengagingsequence, whereupon the closure cap 18 may be pulled upwardly out of thecontainer 10. The application of upward pressure applied to the annularcap section 20 facilitates the flexing of the depending flange 22 to aidin disengaging the upper radial surface 28 from the lower radial surface16.

When it is desired to reclose the mouth 12 of the container 10, theclosure cap 18 is positioned thereover, and downward pressure is appliedto the disc 30. The chamfered edge 29 of the radial projection 26 ridesalong the chamfered edge 17 of the shoulder 14 until the upper radialsurface 28 snaps into preliminary engagement with the lower radialsurface 16 carried by the container 10. At this point, pressure isreleased from the center of the disc 30, thus allowing the disc 30 tomove upwardly to its original position due to the inherent tendency ofthe central cap section 24 and the circumferential flange 22 to returnto the relaxed state. This simultaneously fully engages the upper radialsurface 28 with the lower radial surface 16 to fully secure the closurecap 18 to the bottle 10.

In this manner, the closure cap of the subject invention is fullysecured to the bottle 10, and may not be removed by merely applyingupward pressure to the annular cap section 20, but requires anadditional, unexpected application of downward pressure to the center ofthe central cap section 24 by depressing the disc member 30.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, an additional depending flange36 is provided which extends downwardly from the annular cap section 20and is dimensioned to circumferentially surround the outer surface ofthe mouth 12 of the container 10.

As illustrated, the depending flange 36 has an axial length greater thanthat of the inner circumferential flange 22. This allows the closure cap18 to be placed right side up on a table or the like after removal fromthe container 10 without the inner portions coming in contact therewith.Thus the portions of the closure cap 18 which contact the contents ofthe container 10 will not become contaminated upon removal of theclosure cap 18 from the container 10. The provision of the additionaldepending flange 36 does not hinder in any way the operation of theclosure cap 18. The additional depending flange 36 also serves as anadditional guide for inserting the inner circumferential flange 22 ofthe closure cap 18 within the bottle 10 and provides rigidity to theneck 12 so that upward pressure applied to one side of the annular capsection 20 will not result in an accidental removal of the closure cap18 since the additional depending flange 36 will hold the bottle neck 12against the inner circumferential flange 22. A sea]- ing member 23 mayalso be provided on the under side of the annular cap section 20 toprovide a more positive fluid seal between the closure cap 18 and thecontainer 10.

The embodiment of the closure cap 18 illustrated in FIG. 5 of thedrawings provides an upstanding pin 34 extending from the center of thecentral section 24 rather than the pin 32 and disc 30 of the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2. A structure of this type can be used in place ofthat of the embodiments of FIGS. 1-3 when it is desirable to mold theclosure cap 18 and pin 34 as a single integral unit for saving weightand material during manufacture. The operation of the closure capillustrated in FIG. 5 is substantially the same as that discussed withreference to FIGS. l-3.

In order to insure that the closure cap 18 does not become disengagedfrom the container 10 during storage or shipping of the container, acylindrical holding member 38 may be applied to the closure cap 18, asillustrated by FIG. 6 of the drawings. The cylindrical member 38 isdimensioned such that its outer surface forms a snug fit with theradially inner surface of the circumferential flange 22 of the closurecap 18. By forming the cylindrical member 38 from a relatively rigidmaterial, the circumferential flange 22 of the closure cap 18 will berestrained against flexing radially inwardly to thereby release theradial projection 26 from engagement with the shoulder 14 of thecontainer 10. The cylindrical holding member 38 may have an upper closedend 40 or, alternatively, can be merely in the form of an open endedcylinder.

Two connecting tab members 42 can be provided for securing thecylindrical member 38 to the annular cap section 20 of the closure cap18. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, two radial grooves 43 are providedin the upper surface of the annular cap section 20 to receive the tabmembers 42. One of the tabs 42 may be secured to the annular cap section20 by any suitable means. For example, the closure cap 18 and thecylindrical holding member 38 and tabs 42 may be molded as an integralunit if so desired. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 7, a downwardlydirected lip 44 may be provided adjacent one end of the opposite tab 42which is dimensioned to form a snap fit with the outer surface oftheannular cap section 20 to thereby frictionally secure the cylindricalholding member in place within the closure cap 18.

Alternatively. as illustrated in FIG. 8, mutually engaging serrations 46may be provided in the outer surface of the cylindrical holding member38 and the inner surface of the circumferential flange 22 of the closuremember 18 to thereby increase the frictional engagement between thecylindrical holding member 38 and the circumferential flange 22 to morepositively couple the cylindrical holding member to the closure cap 18.With the cylindrical holding member 38 engaged with the circumferentialflange 22 of the closure cap 18, the closure cap 18 is firmly secured tothe container 10 and may not be removed therefrom without first removingthe cylindrical member 38. In this manner, it is impossible toaccidentally remove the closure cap 18 during storage or shipping of thecontainer, and any internal pressure developed within the container 10,as for example by expansion of the contents, will likewise fail torelease the radial projection 26 from engagement with the shoulder 14 ofthe container 10.

The container and closure cap of the subject invention thus provides astructure which has relative ease of operation, while simultaneouslyproviding an unexpected mode of operation, to thus hinder the removal ofthe closure cap from the container by one unfamiliar with its operation.While the particular discussion above has been directed to the preferredembodiments of this invention, it is obvious that modifications andvariations therein may be effected without substantially departing fromthe spirit and scope of the novel concepts of this invention, as setforth by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a container having a rim defining an open mouthincluding an internal shoulder forming a downwardly facing radialsurface adjacent said mouth, and a flexible safety closure cap thereforcomprising:

an annular cap section overlying said rim of said container andextending outwardly therebeyond;

a first depending flange projecting below said annular cap section andproportioned to fit within said container mouth;

an external shoulder extending outwardly from said first flange andforming an upwardly facing radial surface engaging said downwardlyfacing radial surface of said container thereby securing said closurecap to said container;

a central cap section interconnected with the lower portion of saidflange and below said external shoulder; and

a second depending flange projecting downwardly from said annular capsection and having a diameter greater than the outer diameter of saidcontainer rim and extending therearound to restrict flexing of saidclosure cap whereby said closure cap can not be removed from saidcontainer by only applying an upward force to said annular cap section,but can be removed by simultaneously pressing said central cap sectiondownwardly to flex said second flange outwardly and said first flangeinwardly thereby moving said external shoulder out of engagement withsaid internal shoulder.

2. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said second flange projectsdownwardly below said central cap section.

3. The combination as in claim 1 wherein a disc member having adownwardly directed vertical pin is secured to the center of saidcentral cap section.

4. The combination as in claim 3 wherein the outer diameter of said discmember is less than the inner diameter of said first depending flangewhereby upon depressing said disc member, said pin deflects said centralcap section and said disc moves downwardly within said first dependingflange to a point adjacent said external shoulder.

5. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said upwardly and downwardlyfacing radial surfaces are each continuous circumferential surfaces.

6. The combination as in claim 1 wherein the surface of said internalshoulder above said downwardly facing radial surface and the surface ofsaid external shoulder below said upwardly facing radial surface aremutually chamfered.

7. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said closure cap includes aremovable cylindrical member having an outer diameter substantiallyequal to the inner diameter of said first depending flange and adaptedto engage therewith to prevent inward flexing of said depending flangethereby to positively prevent removal of said closure cap from saidcontainer.

8. The combination as in claim 7 wherein said cylindrical memberincludes at least one radial tab extending outwardly therefrom adaptedto releasably engage the outer periphery of said annular cap section ofsaid closure cap.

9. The combination as in claim 7 wherein the inner surface of said firstdepending flange and the outer surface of said cylindrical member havemutually engaging serrations.

1. In combination, a container having a rim defining an open mouthincluding an internal shoulder forming a downwardly facing radialsurface adjacent said mouth, and a flexible safety closure cap thereforcomprising: an annular cap section overlying said rim of said containerand extending outwardly therebeyond; a first depending flange projectingbelow said annular cap section and proportioned to fit within saidcontainer mouth; an external shoulder extending outwardly from saidfirst flange and forming an upwardly facing radial surface engaging saiddownwardly facing radial surface of said container thereby securing saidclosure cap to said container; a central cap section interconnected withthe lower portion of said flange and below said external shoulder; and asecond depending flange projecting downwardly from said annular capsection and having a diameter greater than the outer diameter of saidcontainer rim and extending therearound to restrict flexing of saidclosure cap whereby said closure cap can not be reMoved from saidcontainer by only applying an upward force to said annular cap section,but can be removed by simultaneously pressing said central cap sectiondownwardly to flex said second flange outwardly and said first flangeinwardly thereby moving said external shoulder out of engagement withsaid internal shoulder.
 2. The combination as in claim 1 wherein saidsecond flange projects downwardly below said central cap section.
 3. Thecombination as in claim 1 wherein a disc member having a downwardlydirected vertical pin is secured to the center of said central capsection.
 4. The combination as in claim 3 wherein the outer diameter ofsaid disc member is less than the inner diameter of said first dependingflange whereby upon depressing said disc member, said pin deflects saidcentral cap section and said disc moves downwardly within said firstdepending flange to a point adjacent said external shoulder.
 5. Thecombination as in claim 1 wherein said upwardly and downwardly facingradial surfaces are each continuous circumferential surfaces.
 6. Thecombination as in claim 1 wherein the surface of said internal shoulderabove said downwardly facing radial surface and the surface of saidexternal shoulder below said upwardly facing radial surface are mutuallychamfered.
 7. The combination as in claim 1 wherein said closure capincludes a removable cylindrical member having an outer diametersubstantially equal to the inner diameter of said first depending flangeand adapted to engage therewith to prevent inward flexing of saiddepending flange thereby to positively prevent removal of said closurecap from said container.
 8. The combination as in claim 7 wherein saidcylindrical member includes at least one radial tab extending outwardlytherefrom adapted to releasably engage the outer periphery of saidannular cap section of said closure cap.
 9. The combination as in claim7 wherein the inner surface of said first depending flange and the outersurface of said cylindrical member have mutually engaging serrations.